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Transportation Relies on Petroleum for Nearly All of Its Energy Needs, BTS Reports
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| Contact |
BTS 12-01
David Smallen
202-366-5568 |
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Tuesday, June 5, 2001 -- Advances have been made in transportation-related fuel technology, such
as hybrid cars and alternative fuels, but transportation still relies on petroleum for more than 95
percent of its energy needs, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics
(BTS) reports in the National Transportation Statistics 2000 (NTS) released today.
Transportation accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. demand for refined petroleum products—up
from just over half in 1970. In this time period, transportation's use of refined petroleum grew
by nearly 65 percent, accounting for all but a small portion of the increase in refined petroleum
use in the U.S. economy.
Domestic Demand for Refined Petroleum Products by Sector (quadrillion btu)
| Transportation |
15.31 |
19.50 |
25.23 |
| Industrial |
7.79 |
7.81 |
9.46 |
| Residential and Commercial |
4.31 |
2.52 |
2.07 |
| Electric Utilities |
2.12 |
1.09 |
0.94 |
| Total Petroleum demand |
29.53 |
30.92 |
37.71 |
| Transportation as % of total |
51.8 |
63.1 |
66.9 |
Vehicle miles traveled in passenger cars, motorcycles, vans, sport utility vehicles and other
light trucks rose 132 percent, while fuel consumption by these vehicles rose only 53 percent from
1970 to 1998.
Fuel Consumption and Travel for Specified Vehicles
| Passenger Cars |
917,000 |
1,247,000 |
1,545,830 |
68% |
67,819 |
71,518 |
72,209 |
6.4% |
| Motorcycle |
3,000 |
9,100 |
10,260 |
242% |
60 |
182 |
205 |
241% |
| Other 2-Axle, 4-Tire (vans, SUVs, light trucks) |
123,000 |
391,000 |
866,228 |
604% |
12,313 |
27,363 |
50,579 |
311% |
| Total |
1,043,000 |
1,647,100 |
2,422,318 |
132% |
80,192 |
99,063 |
122,993 |
53% |
"The NTS provides data on a wide range of transportation issues that can be used in making decisions
that will affect America's future. The trends in fuel use are especially timely because of the
growing prominence of energy issues," BTS Director Ashish Sen said.
The report provides extensive information about transportation topics:
- It addresses the extent, condition, and performance of the transportation network.
- It details transportation's safety record, providing data on fatalities, injuries, and accidents for each mode, and hazardous material incidents.
- It presents data on transportation energy use and related environmental impacts, such as air, noise, and water pollution and solid waste.
- It focuses on the relationship between transportation and the economy—transportation's contribution to the gross domestic product, employment by industry and occupation, and transportation-related consumer expenditures.
A summary of national transportation data, the NTS is a companion document to the Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2000, which analyzes the data and will be published in July.
To order free copies of the National Transportation Statistics 2000, call (202) 366-DATA (3282), fax (202) 366-3640, or write to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room 3430, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590. An electronic version of the report is available on the BTS web site at www.bts.gov.
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